New filings for jobless benefits last week stayed above the pre-pandemic level for the second week in a row, continuing to signal a resurgence in layoffs as economic activity slowed. With more companies announcing layoffs recently, we expect the upward trend in new jobless claims to continue. There ... READ MORE >
unemployment
Initial jobless claims rise to above pre-pandemic level
New filings for jobless benefits surged last week to above the pre-pandemic level for the first time in five months, the Department of Labor reported on Thursday. Behind the increase were a slowdown in hiring and an acceleration in layoffs in recent weeks. New claims for jobless benefits increased by ... READ MORE >
U.S. April jobs report: Another month of solid payroll gains
Sustained strength in wages continues to attract workers back into the American labor force, which resulted in a net increase of 428,000 jobs in April—the second such increase in a row—as the unemployment rate held steady at 3.6%. Since the beginning of the year, the economy has added 2.1 million ... READ MORE >
U.S. February jobs report: Bittersweet symphony as employment rises by 678,000
Despite a net increase in total employment of 678,000 and a decline in the unemployment rate to 3.8% in February, the improvement in the American labor market is now in the rearview mirror as the impact of geopolitical tensions, searing economic sanctions, rising inflation and surging oil prices sets ... READ MORE >
Chart of the day: New jobless claims continue to fall
Initial jobless claims fell for the third straight week as the labor market recovers from the omicron surge. New filings for jobless benefits dropped by 16,000 to 223,000 for the week ending Feb. 5 on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to data released by the Labor Department on Thursday. The ... READ MORE >
U.S. January jobs report shows strong gains and significant upward revisions
The American labor market remained red hot in January and that strength will stimulate a discussion of faster interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve at its March meeting. The net increase of 467,000 in total employment on the back of a significant upward revision to the December estimate, from ... READ MORE >
U.S. jobs preview: Stick a giant omicron asterisk on the January report
The omicron variant has almost surely created significant distortions in the American workforce that will become evident when the jobs report for January is released on Friday. Investors, policymakers and firm managers should essentially write off the report as a one-time set of noise that will not ... READ MORE >
Initial U.S. jobless claims exceed pre-pandemic level as omicron variant sets in
New filings for U.S. jobless benefits last week rose to 230,000 from 207,000 the week before, exceeding the average pre-pandemic level for the first time in six weeks as the impact of the omicron variant began to be felt in the labor market. The unexpected increase in new claims was also influenced by ... READ MORE >
U.S. December jobs report: Economy has strongest year of job creation on record
Recovery, resilience and reimagination are apt descriptions of the American economy two years into a debilitating pandemic. Like a bruised prizefighter in the late rounds of a championship match, the American economy closed the year on a strong note by adding 199,000 jobs in December. Once one ... READ MORE >
December jobs report preview: Expect the unemployment rate to fall to 4.1%
We expect a net gain in total employment of 475,000 jobs and a decline in the unemployment rate to 4.1% when the jobs report for December is published on Friday. Strong job creation in higher-paying jobs in goods production, construction, manufacturing, business services and the financial sector ... READ MORE >